Centennial Woods: First Spring Migrants!

Winter in Vermont has officially given way to mud season. Temperatures have risen consistently above freezing, and my friends, Meghan and Jasper, and I decided to set out to Centennial Woods in hopes of seeing some of this year's first migrants. The weather was rather overcast. We set out early on April 7th, around 9:00 AM, and stayed through the morning to return around noon.

Most of the species we observed were still resident species, like Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpeckers. The birds that remain in Vermont for the winter have the ability to deal with the harsh conditions, such as cold and lack of food. Black-capped Chickadees are able to go into hypothermia and recover, allowing them to endure bitter cold. Some species, like Downy Woodpeckers, still have decent access to a food resource. You'll see woodpeckers on trees in the middle of winter as well as the summer. Even American Robins were relatively common through this winter. As generalists, robins are able to take advantage of the resources still available, like seeds which persist through winter and fruiting trees.

A few exciting migrants did appear though, including the iconic Red-winged Blackbird. One bird was seen perched in the top of a tree over the retention pond, singing his heart out. By arriving so early, the blackbirds have an opportunity to claim territory and prepare for the breeding season. Another notable migrant was the Eastern Phoebe. Surprisingly, however, I was able to find little information about Eastern Phoebe migration. Despite being such a well-known aspect of birds' lives, migration isn't fully understood in many species.

To put migration into perspective, the Eastern Phoebe's migration could be as far as 1,200 miles or more. I found that the exact wintering grounds of many bird species were difficult to locate. Using information from All About Birds, Birds of North America, and Google Maps, I was able to come up with some rough distance estimates. All the migratory species we saw on this trip traveled an estimated cumulative 2,844 miles, and those are just the species seen in one morning.

So far, the warmer weather has held, and hopefully these conditions will continue to bring the birds back north. I'll be keeping my eyes out for more migrants as the weather warms and spring fully takes hold in Vermont.

Posted on 07 April, 2019 19:51 by kayley-j-dillon